Refinery power plant



Feb. 14, 1928. 1,658,910

M. J. TRUMBLE REFINERY POWER PLANT FiIed Dec. 1. 1922 I CO/VOEAYSLV?Far/me:

7ZA 5 Nf RES/0011M Patented F b; 14,1928.

; UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE..-

( MILON TRUMBi JE, OF ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA.

REFI'nERY rowan, PLANT.

Wells, are compositions of Various hydrocarbon elements which areadapted to a wide variety of uses. These hydrocarbons are separated fromthe crude oil by' distillation, the component hydrocarbons of which theIn crud oil is formed having difierent .gravities, eing drawn off fromthe distilling operation at the separate temperatures at which theparticular elements volatilize. .Many forms of' equipment and many proc-.10 esses are employed in segregating theconstituent parts of crude oil.These processes all agree in one thing; the expenditure of heat for thevolatilization of. the co stituent volatiles which are subsequentlyiquefied 2 from their gaseous state by the removal of heat therefrom incondensers. The now extensively employed and efli- -cierit systems forrefining of the light hydrocarbons from petroleum'oils are continuous inoperation. In these systems thecrude oil is conducted through heatingcoils at high speed and under pressure. in which heating coils the oilis raised .to the volatili-. zation point of the part-icularhydrocarbonconstituent which it is desired to distill off from the crude base. Fromthe heating coils the unvolat ilized crude oil and the volatilizedhydrocarbon are conducted into separators or Vaporizers in which theliquid hydrocarbons are separated fromthe gaseous hydrocarbons, theheated residuum being thence conducted through a a heat interchanger toheat the inflowing new crudeoil and the volatilized hydrocarbons beingconducted through condensers in which they are reduced to a liquid stateby the cooling action of cold water delivered through; the

condensers for this purpose. a The heatemployed for the purpose ofdistillation in these systems is taken upby the-cooling water in thecondensers-and is finally dis sipated into the atmosphere at the coolingtowers which are employed to reduce the temperaturepf thewater so thatit may again be employed for condensing volatilized hydrocarbons at thecondensers.

In the large oil refineriesmany barrels of 1 oil are used as fuel tovolatilize the hydrocarbon constituents of the oil being refined.

5, This volatilization of the volatile hydrocar-' bon does not con tuten a tual'e pendi 'of steam having the purpose of maintaining Applicationfiled December 1, 1922. Serial No. 604,301

, y ture of'heat because this heat is still present in the volatilizedelements up to the time t ey are condensed and must be removed therefromat the condensers in order to liquefy the product into commercial form.

Under these conditions it may be rightfully considered that the actualpoint at Which' the heat is expended or given off is at the condensersand cooling tower. For the purpose of dissipating this heat into theatmosphere large quantities of water and batteries of cooling towers areemployed, and the heat which is dissipated thereby is an actual loss ofpower in heat, from which no result is obtained other than thevolatilization' of the hydrocarbons which are being refined out of thecrude base. 1 1' It is an object of. my invention to-provid a'meanswhereby the heat elements now wasted in the refining of oil maybeconverted' into useful work by utilizing these heated elements for thegeneration of electr ical or mechanical energy. I

It is a further object of the invention to provide a continuous refiningsystem in -which steam is employed for the purpose of agitating andheating the. crude oil which has been previously raised to the desiredvolatillzing temperature, I this employment the temperatures andpressures in the system at a constant point and further assisting infreeing; the volatile constituents which it is desired to refine fromthe crude base.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a system of thischaracter which is substantially automatic in its operation and L isprovided with automatic means for controlling'th'e pressures therein. ag

It is a further object of the invention to provide a system of thischaracter havingan improved form of evaporator and an improved flowcontrolling device associated therewith.

The particular advantafges of the inveiition and further objects thereofwill be made evident hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing, which is wholly diagrammatic and forillustrative purposes only, '1 represents an oil pump which pumpsunrfinedcrude oil from reservoirs', not shown, through piping 2 and 3into a heat interchanger 4 in which it is heated before being deliveredthfough p'iping 5 into the heating coils 6 situated in the i r ace 7 Inthe heating coils 6, the oil" is .stituents desired to be drawn off inthis distillation operation volatilize, and from the coils 6 isdelivered through a piping 8 into a vaporizing drum 9. The inner end 12of the pipe 8 is perforated along the lower side thereof as indicated at14 sothat'the hot oil and the volatilized hydrocarbon will be de liveredinto-the body of heated oil '15, existing in the bottom of the drum 9,in fine spray streams. The nnvaporized oil or. residuum collecting inthe drum 9 flows through a pipe 17 into the bottom of a flow regulatorcomprising a chamber 18 while the volatilized walements pass upwardlythrough a duct 19 into a vaporizer drum 20. In thevaporizer drum thevolatilized gases are received i'n a cup member 22 which fits over theupper end of v the duct 19 and are sprayed downwardly and outwardly intothe drum through a horizontally extending pipe 24having holes 25 inthelower side thereof. In the drum 9,

' due to the agitation of the oil body 15, certain regulator 18. Thevolatiles pass from the vaporizer drum 20 through a duct 28 into theupper part of the regulator chamber 18 wherein they are downwardlydeflected by a circular baflie plate 32 within which they rise asindicated by the arrows 33 and are delivered under the pressure of thesystem through a piping 34. into a full condensing turbine 35 which isconnected by piping 37 to a final cooler or condenser 38 which deliversthe final condensates through piping 39 to settling tanks or otherseparating means, not shown. I

In combination with the aforementioned apparatus a boiler 40 is providedfrom which steam is delivered, through piping 41 having a valve 42therein, into a superheater 15 which delivers superheated steam, intothe system at various points, for the purpose of maintaining the desiredpressure and temperature conditions therein, through a-pipe 47 having aregulating valve 48 the-rein. Superheated stearri is delivered from thesuperheater 45into the piping 8 at a'point just before the delivery ofthe heated oil and volatilized constituents through the portion 12 ofthe pipe 8 into the separating drum .9.

Superheated steam may also be delivered into the coils 6 through piping50 and regnestablished pressure.

sired heat and pressure conditions therein.

The residuum from the drums 9 and20 being delivered through piping 17and 27, is delivered into the lower end of the regulator 18 and" passesthrough a sinuous course around baifle plates 60 and61, forming an oilbody indicated at 65, this body of oil lifting the float 66 to a pointwhere the valve 67, situat'edin the residuum outflow piping 68, will beopened due to the swinging of the operating lever 69 in the valve 67which is accomplished by the interposition of a link 70 between thelever 69 and the crank 71' Whichin turn is associated with thesupporting arm 72 of the float 66. It will be perceived that as thefloat raises,'the levers 71 and 69 are swung downwardly throughcorresponding angles, thus making it possible to regulate the opening ofthe valve' 67, and

consequently the outflow of oil from the regulator 18, by means of thelevel of the body of oil'65 contained within this regulatmg chamber.Through steam piping 75 which connects through a suitable packing gland76 and interior piping 77 with a steam spray ring 78 situated within thefloat member 66, a constant inflow of steam may be accomplished whichwill serve" to drive out through the pipe 80 any condensates which maycollect withinthe interior of the float 66 or any oil which may entertherein due to a slight leakage of the float. If so desired, the piping77 and 75' may be employed as a drain for the float 66, through whichthe collections may be forced from the float nn der the pressureexisting Within the regulator. Through the outflow piping 68, the heatedresiduum is directed into the heat exchanger 4; wherein the heat thereofis transferred to the cold oil delivered into the exchanger 4.- throughthe pipingB, and is from the heat exchanger delivered through piping 81to suitable storage tanks, not shown.

Distilling operations under pressure are subject to more completecontrol than such operationseonducted at atmospheric pressures.Therefore, in the operation of my device it is desirable that the crudeoil be de liveredcontinuonsly into the system under pressure by the pump1, and thepressnre maintained throughout the system. In the commonmethods of refining by distillation,

the pressures in the SySi-OITI vary corisidcrably at different pointsand at different periods. It will be recognized that a change inpressure will nuturally effect a change in the gravity of theconstituents drawn off in the distilling operation during such periodswherein the pressure variesfrmn the In the operation, of my device, theheated oil from. the heat exchanger is delivered under pressure throughthe piping 5 into the heating coil 6 wherein it circulates at highvelocity and is therein raised to the desired volatilizing point. If

' tion (not shown) so .that heat losses due to a lowering of pressureshould occur within the coil 6, thls pressufe is immediately made up bythe addition of superheated steam' to operate at the desired pressure.Another point'inthe system where a drop in .pressure and temperature isliable to occur is at the separator or vaporizer where the vblati'hzedelements are released from the heated residuum; therefore, connection ismade be tween the superheater 45' and the piping 8 through a regulatingvalve 48 and the piping 47, thus providing a means whereby the pressurein the portion 12 of the pipe 8 and in the drums 9 and 20,.may bemaintained substantially constant.

If it is desirable, the various pipes niay be provided with any Suitableheat insularadiation may be reduced to a minimum, thus making itpossible to maintain a substantially constant pressure throughout theentire system. It has been recognized by refining experts that thespraying of steam' through a body of oil accomplishes and expedijes thedistillation thereof, but the use of steam for this purpose is notwidely prac ticed owing to the great heat losses and the fact that theheat employed for the generation of the steam does not provide adequatereturn in increased production to justify its employment; but in "my.system no limita- -tions need be placed upon the use of superheatedsteam and its free distribution throughout the system, because of thefact that this steam after. functioning in the distilling of the oil isfinally delivered from the regulator chamber 18 through the piping 34with the volatile hydrocarbons into a turbine 85 "where the heat thereofis expansively employed inthe driving of the turbine by which such'heat, ordinarily wasted and dissipated into the atmosphere I throughcondensers and cooling t,owers,"is

transformed into power. For this purpose it is desirous to employ a fullcondensing turbine so that when the gaseous products delivered throughthe plpe 34 from a regulatbr chamber 18 are finally conducted into thecooler or condenser'38, they will-be 'sub stantially entirelyliquefiedand requlre only 'a cooling-thereof before being delivered: in

the form of condensates through the piping 39 to the separating devicesin which the hydrocarbons are segregated from the water which resultsfrom the condensing of the 'steam in the turbine and the condenser 3&5.

' The turbine 35 delivers mechanical :en-

. ergy representative of the heat contained in the volatilized products,and owing to the fact that there is substantially no heat lossthroughout the system, and owing to the fact that a considerable portionof the heat contained in the residuum is employed to primarily heat thecold incoming crude oil,

the power generated by the turbine will represent a very large portionof the heat-ex-- pended in the volatilization of the hydrocarbons whichare being distilled out of the crude base. It isdesirable to employ theturbine for driving electro-generators from .which electric energy maybe distributed power generating systein. There are quite a number ofrefineries operating throughout the country having capacities of-300,000barrels, and it will be easily understood, when it is considered thatone of these plants e1n ploys three sixteen inch high .pressurewa- 'tersystems merely for the purpose of delivering water through thecondensers to remove the heat from the volatilized hydrocarbons, thatthe horsepower wasted in such a plant due to the throwing away of theheat contained in the volatilized constituents would supply, the powerrequirements of quite a large area and that electrical power thusgenerated could be delivered at a very low cost. J

I claim as my invention: A

1. In an apparatus ofthe classdescribed the combination of: a heater forraising the temperature of oil to the required volatilizationtemperature; means for delivering oil to said. heater; -means forremoving and separating the distillation products from said heatercomprising a vaporizer in which the volatilized hydrocarbons of said oilare separated from the nonvolatilized residuum. and a regulating chamberinto which said volatilized hydrocarbons and said residuum areseparately conducted from said vaporizer and which includes regulatingmeans for governing the discharge flow of residuumin a mannermaintaining a liquid sealed residuvice for transforming the. expansiveheat form of a very valuable by-product to a energy of said volatilizedhydrocarbons into mechanical energy and means for conducting saidvolatilized hydrocarbons from said regulating chamber to said motivedevice.

2. An apparatus, as defined in claim 1. in combination with means forgenerating steam at a higher pressurethan is employed 1n saidvolatilizing apparatus, and pressure reducing valves through which saidsteam is delivered into said apparatus at various points whenever thepressure in said apparatus drops below the required operating pressure:

3. An apparatus, as defined in-claim 1, in combination with means forgenerating steam at a higher pressure than is employed in saidvolatilizing apparatus, and means for introducing steam from said steamgenerating means into said volatilizing apparatus at different points,for the purpose of agitating non-volatilized oil contained therein andfor maintaining the required heat and pressure in said'volatilizingapparatus.

4. An apparatus, as defined in claim 1, in which said regulating meanscomprises: a sliell lraving a residuum outlet and a gas outlet; a floatin said shell; a valve for controlling the outflow of residuum throughsaid outlet;'and means so connectingbevapor to the hydrocarbon vaporsfrom said oil so as to maintain a substantially. constant pressure inthe volume of vapors delivered to said motive means.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combinatlon of:regulating 'means;

meansfor introducing into said regulating means oil heated to thevolatilizationpoint of certain of its constituents; motive means forconvertingexpansive energy of vapors to mechanical energy, said motivemeans being arranged to receive vapors from said regulating, means; andpressure regulated means for adding vapor to the hydrocarbonregulatingmeans; and means for adding steam to the'hydrocarbon vapors from saidoil so as to maintain a substantially constant pressure in the volume ofvapors delivered to said motive means.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of:regulating means; means for, introducing into said regulating means oilheated to the volatilization point of certain of its constituents;motive means for converting expansive energy of vapors .to mechanicalenergy, said motive means being arranged to receive vapors from saidregulatingvmeans; and pressure regulated means for adding steam to thehydrocarbon vapors from saidoil so as to. maintain a substantiallyconstant pressure in the volume of vapors delivered to said motivemeans.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 25th day of November, 1922.

- V v MILON J. TRUMBLE.

